


the best friend's guide to falling in love

by sujiverse



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, background lipsoul, squint for chuuves, squint for chuuwon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 03:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15209765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sujiverse/pseuds/sujiverse
Summary: so maybe she's been in love with her best 'friend' all this while. big deal.





	1. the best friend's guide to falling in love

**Author's Note:**

> title inspired by douglas adams' "the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" series

"you think she'd ever find out?"

 

heejin looks up, following hyunjin's line of sight to see who she was referring to.

 

jungeun, of course. they're all on their lunch break now, and jungeun's supposed to be eating with them, but she seems to have her sights set on someone else. as she has been, for the last week or so.

 

"nah, she's too damn oblivious. and too caught up with having feelings for that girl in her dance class."

 

"that girl meaning jung jinsoul... tough," hyunjin says simply, placing a hand on heejin's. "also you haven't actually made a move on her! don't give up even before you start the fight? where's that little competitive devil in you?"

 

"there's no competition, hyunjin," heejin whines softly. "i'm just her cute junior, her friend, nothing more. oh my god, you weren't there when yves told us to pair up and i was so about to ask her to be my partner but chaewon comes up to me first and i can't say no to chaewon's pretty face, so yay! i get to watch her practise with jinsoul's hands on her body instead of mine... uGH, i can't, hyunjin. i hate... whatever this is."

 

hyunjin lets out another empathetic sigh, feeding her another mouthful of her chocolate bar. heejin munches on it thoughtfully. her eyes are trailing jungeun's back habitually, and she sees the girl making conversation with another fellow blonde.

 

blonde, and definitely not park chaewon.

 

hyunjin shields heejin's eyes from the sight with one hand and shoves the remaining of her chocolate bar into her mouth before she can let out any protest. she hears the classic jungeun giggle that she's grown accustomed to and laments the fact that it's not directed at her. she brushes off hyunjin's growing annoyance as she gets tutted at again. _what does kim hyunjin know about unrequited love anyway?_

 

she buries her head into her arms and lets the girl stroke her hair. it comforts her, slightly.

 

hyunjin places her head down next to heejin, eyes focused on one person and one person only.

 

"hey, wanna skip dance class today?" hyunjin suggests softly. "you don't have to watch yves and vivi demonstrate that scarring move you told me about and besides, it's not like you want to watch the blonde dynamic duo dance that duet, right?"

 

heejin hums in reply. hyunjin knows her well enough to understand that she's just consented to skipping the class.

 

"wanna watch a movie?"

 

another hum.

 

"infinity war?"

 

"only if you promise not to tell me what goes on in the comics and buy me popcorn," heejin says, suddenly perked up.

 

"deal."

 

heejin smiles, and it reaches her eyes. the area around her eyes crinkle and her nose lifts up, just slightly. her teeth show, and her face just lights up like it's christmas day. it's hyunjin's favourite smile of hers. she returns a grin.

 

(heejin was wrong. hyunjin knows a whole lot about unrequited love.)

 

((not that heejin would ever notice, anyway.))

 

* * *

 

"unnie! are you going for dance class already?"

 

"yeah, trying to get in some extra practice with jinsoul before the little showcase. oh man, i'm super nervous about that one part where she's gonna-"

 

"nevermind that, do you have a little time? we can have lunch together! i haven't eaten because..." heejin hesitates. she hasn't thought out that part of the excuse to eat lunch with jungeun yet. "hyunjin's cat... needs to go to the vet."

 

"i thought her cat died last year," jungeun says. heejin gasps- she forgot about that. "did she get a new one? guess i really need to catch up with you guys..."

 

jungeun did not catch on, thankfully, but she hadn't agreed to lunch yet either. and by the faraway looks she's giving...

 

"i'm sorry girl i gotta take a rain check on that lunch, i think i see jinsoul unnie. bye!"

 

jungeun leaves, trotting ahead a few steps before turning back to apologise again.

 

"i'm sorry girl... you're still my favourite junior! don't tell hyunjin. see you in dance!" she smiles that million dollar smile of hers, so full of fondness and cheekiness heejin can't help but smile back. she tries to tell her that she's actually not attending class but jungeun's too far away to clearly hear her.

 

the smile turns into a permanent scowl as she sees the two blondes greet each other warmly, jinsoul latching on to jungeun almost instantly. they've known each other for what, two weeks? what's that compared to the two years she's had with jungeun? ugh.

 

well, now all she has is time before hyunjin's class ends. they have a movie to catch, and for heejin, feelings to get rid of.

 

* * *

 

a pleasantly surprised heejin finds jiwoo in the rooftop garden unintentionally. the girl gives her a soft smile upon noticing her presence, and hands her a filled watering can. heejin struggles to hold it with two hands although jiwoo handed it effortlessly to her with one.

 

"fancy seeing you here, since when were you part of the gardening club huh? skipping dance practice to do this, tsk," jiwoo says to fill in the silence. she walks around, carefully tipping the watering can to water pots of weed-infested tomato plants but still inadvertently getting some water on herself. heejin laughs at her rather soulessly.

 

"vivi unnie brought me here once and showed me the ropes. i come here sometimes to escape the crowd. and as for dance class... unnie, i think you know why."

 

"i actually don't, but i'm guessing jungeun?" jiwoo asks thoughtfully. she sets down the now-empty watering can and bends over to pluck out some weeds, mimicking heejin's movements. "wow we really can't help but fall for the most unattainable people in our lives, can we?"

 

"way to make me feel better," heejin laughs again, slightly more sincere this time. "i feel... pathetic. hyunjin tells me i shouldn't give up before i've even tried to make a move but, i am so sure i'm gonna fail because she doesn't see me as anything else other than her friend. and it's dizzying to watch her dance, what more to see her dance with someone else... oh shit, i should not have told you that, you guys have been like friends forever oh my g-"

 

"don't worry, idiot," jiwoo effectively shuts her up. "have i ever told on you? also it's not like you don't have leverage on my love life..."

 

a couple of shoves and a couple of giggles later, they fall back into a comfortable silence, plucking weeds and watering plants into oblivion.

 

that is, until jiwoo's dopey grin and high pitched giggle breaks the silence.

 

"your substitute lover is here!"

 

"my what?" heejin turns to see hyunjin running in a full sprint towards her.

 

"heejin oh my goodness i am SO sorry i'm late i didn't get released until ten minutes after class ended because the teacher wanted to talk to me about my assignment but then he also confiscated my phone because i was trying to text you to tell you i was going to be late and conclusion is, i got my phone back but i have detention tomorrow, i'm sorry i'm so late and LET'S GO for the movie now i can't wait!!!"

 

heejin cracks up at the obviously jumpy hyunjin. "yeah woah uh, slow down? jiwoo-"

 

"i'll finish up on my own, enjoy your movie date!" her usual bright tone brings a smile to both their faces, and jiwoo gestures even more wildly for them to leave when heejin shows some signs of hesitation before laying down the bunch of uprooted weeds she held in her hand.

 

heejin leaves after washing her hands, and jiwoo hears her softly chiding hyunjin for getting herself into unnecessary detention. hyunjin tells her it's worth it, and sticks out a hand to help heejin carry her files. heejin complies, and then reaches for hyunjin's free hand, interlocking their fingers together. jiwoo stares and stares and stares until the pair are out of sight.

 

hm, how _interesting_.

 

(perhaps, jeon heejin is blind.)

 

((and perhaps, kim hyunjin is the most whipped jiwoo has ever seen her.))


	2. the cafe at the end of the universe

"oh my god, i can't wait! cap looked so good in the trailer and thor is only the greatest superhero ever so-"

 

"hey, look," heejin interrupts her, to no avail.

 

"the movie is gonna be awesome! and dude, shuri is such a great character you will adore her-"

 

"hyunjin, HYUNJIN!"

 

that does get her attention.

 

"it's going to pour," she says simply, pointing to the looming, ominous dark clouds. "we can't go to the movies if it does."

 

within seconds, lightning strikes. oh shit, that means thunder. heejin hates thunder.

 

she doesn't even have time to yelp when she feels hyunjin drop everything in her arms (gently) to close her hands over her ears (also, gently) from behind her.

 

she feels it, her own (not-very-gentle) heartbeat, pounding loudly in her ears.

 

_badum, badum, badum._

 

_"your substitute lover is here!"_

 

she's suddenly hyperaware of her surroundings. she feels the callouses hyunjin gets from playing basketball on the tip of her ears, feels herself being gently pushed back into hyunjin's body, feels how natural they fit around each other despite the height difference. she catches herself thinking that hyunjin's hands are unusually warm.

 

the heartbeat gets faster. _badum, badum, badum._

 

the same hands peel away from her face and she instantly misses the feeling of their warmth on her face already.

 

she can't help but think what jiwoo had said, as if she had seen something in their relationship that she herself had yet to. it doesn't bother her or freak her out. it's just an odd way to label her best friend.

 

"yo, you alright? you look kinda dazed," hyunjin asks, and heejin notices the furrow in her eyebrows when she turns to look at her. her tone is casual, like she's trying not to look like she's worrying about her.

 

she's wrong, it does kind of freak her out.

 

she wants to reply, but gets interrupted even before she starts. hyunjin suggests ice cream instead since going for a movie meant being caught in the rain, and heejin just stares at her in amusement.

 

she had wanted to suggest that too.

 

"yeah, sure. i was just um," she coughs, uncharacteristically stumbling over her words. "yeah, uh about to say that."

 

she covers it up with another cough or two and passes it off as dust getting stuck in her throat. smooth.

 

* * *

 

on the bus ride to the nearest baskin robbins, heejin contemplates the nature of their friendship.

 

1\. it's not to say that heejin has never entertained the thought of dating hyunjin. it just never crossed her mind. ever.

 

hyunjin has been nothing but nice to her since the first day they met, five years ago, in a dance class outside of school. and she had stayed that way, sweet and caring, while slowly exposing herself to be the absolute goofball that she is.

 

her files are wrapped safely within hyunjin's arms as she takes a catnap against the window of the vehicle. at a particular hump, her head bumps painfully against the window. heejin watches her wince in her sleep, chuckling to herself.

 

 2. so is hyunjin her substitute lover?

 

perhaps. jiwoo has a point. heejin's not blind to all the nice things hyunjin does for her.

 

that being said, she guides hyunjin's head gently away from the window and onto her shoulder.

 

3\. is she still her best friend?

 

definitely. hyunjin stirs in her sleep, and heejin pats her head, telling her to go back to sleep. they still have a few more stops to go.

 

4\. could she be... her girlfriend?

 

heejin.exe has stopped functioning...

 

no, too many things can happen. what if they do date, and then they break up? she would lose her best friend and her love.

 

_alright, thats way to far down the rabbit hole girl. take a nap. the sleep deprivation is getting to you._

 

the ride isn't long enough, and they miss their stop. it doesn't hit her until she wakes up that jungeun never crossed her mind once.

 

* * *

 

hyunjin had woken them up in a panic. they missed their stop! she had hurriedly pressed the bell. her reasoning being that she still recognised the area, so it means they musn't be far from it. she pulled a very groggy heejin off the bus, only realising the small problem she had gotten them into after alighting.

 

it's still raining.

 

"oh, shit."

 

"now what?"

 

they look to each other, breaking out into incredulous laughter. _damn, so much trouble just for ice cream._

 

not that she minds, anyway. as the saying goes, 'time with hyunjin is always time well spent'.

 

at least, that's what hyunjin tells her. they reevaluate their options.

 

  1. take the bus in the opposite direction.
  2. walk in the rain.
  3. forgo ice cream and just go home.
  4. something else?



 

hyunjin lets heejin decide, telling her she's okay with anything.

 

"i'm fine with anything too," heejin replies. they stare at the ground in silence again, waiting for the other to decide.

 

"every time we go out we end up like this at some point," hyunjin points out. "that's funny, it's like we're..."

 

_(don't say it, kim hyunjin. don't make it weird!)_

 

"like... an old married couple or something."

 

_(damn it, you said it. idiot!)_

 

it's instantaneous laughter from her. what else could she have done, stayed silent and made it awkward? she almost says something she probably shouldn't, but retracts before she does.

 

"what is it?" hyunjin asks.

 

"nothing, i just thought of something we can do."

 

deflecting the question, she quickly makes up something as she goes. she takes out her grey hoodie from her bag and hyunjin understand what she wants them to do. except, she didn't bring hers.

 

not that heejin expected her to anyway, because the girl dramatically swings the hoodie over her head and attempts to cover the both of them with it, despite being shorter than hyunjin.

 

they can't help but giggle.

 

"let me, shortie."

 

"hey!"

 

this time, it's heejin carrying hyunjin's files for her.

 

hyunjin makes sure to cover heejin's side a bit more, but gets chided for it. "my files can't get wet!" is a flimsy excuse, and heejin forces her to cover herself before her entire uniform soaks through.

 

when she thinks heejin's not noticing, she makes sure just to lean her arm ever so slightly more to her side to cover her.

 

(heejin does notice.)

 

((they don't make it all the way to their favourite ice cream store as the rain gets significantly heavier. instead, it's a cosy little cafe that serves toast and, god bless them, ice cream.))

 

* * *

 

heejin automatically gets up when they have decided what to order. hyunjin isn't good with these things.

 

they chat about nothing while waiting for the food to be ready, and when it does, it's hyunjin's turn to get up and retrieve it.

 

she doesn't need jiwoo (or hyunjin, for that matter) to tell her how much they look like an old married couple, she knows how much they resemble one.

 

is it weird? to suddenly think your best friend could be something more to you?

 

she watches hyunjin brings the tray with freshly toasted bread and two cups of hot fudge sundaes over carefully. she makes that face- the one where she furrows her eyebrows and folds her lips in when she's concentrating, the one that makes her look like a fool.

 

_maybe it's not._

 

"if you keep making that stupid face you might actually become stupid," heejin says, a smirk forming on her face. "then i'll have to share my one brain cell with you, how sad."

 

"who says i need half your brain cell to survive? i'll do better with none than with half of yours," hyunjin replies, sticking her tongue out and acting childish. it's their thing, to act like children who are fighting. it's just more fun when you're poking fun at poking fun at each other.

 

(it all started when they watched that one video where a little boy and a little girl fought on some tv show. it was so cute. they imitated that for weeks.)

 

heejin grabs some of her fudge and lifts her spoon in a menacing manner, theeatening to smear some across hyunjin's face. it doesn't work, obviously, because hyunjin's an athlete, and she grabs and eats the fudge off heejin's spoon before she can even say "i'll beat your ass kim hyunjin!".

 

like any of their dates (not-dates? friend-dates?), this one descends into silence. they eat off each other's sundaes even though they got the exact same thing. they cut some toast and feed it to each other. their calves playfully knock against each other, eventually attaching under the table, unknowingly and habitually.

 

but unlike any other their previous... somethings, heejin notices things she has never noticed before. how hyunjin would leave her with the bigger pieces of toast, or how she only takes small bites when stealing from her cup. earlier, her shoelaces had been untied, and she hadn't even noticed them until hyunjin got down on a knee to fix them up.

 

_holy shit, what kind of drama am i in?_

 

hyunjin gets napkins when they're done and hands her one just when she needs it.

 

_really, how does that girl do it?_

 

more things, this time pertaining more to hyunjin herself. like how she doesn't blink when she is really trying to focus on what heejin is saying, or how she can't chew and think hard at the same time, or how her hands are really warm even after they've been holding a cup of ice cream for the past half hour.

 

heejin zones out when hyunjin is talking about the nba finals. she loves hyunjin, don't get her wrong, but she doesn't have to love her interests. inadvertently, she realises she's been staring at hyunjin's face for a good minute, memorising every detail without even meaning to. _has she always had such long eye lashes?_

 

lightning flashes outside, and she instinctively flinches. hyunjin doesn't even pause before reaching over the table to cover her ears before she can do it herself.

 

it's especially loud, and she's positive she feels the whole cafe rumble from the thunder. hyunjin even winces at the loudness.

 

_badum- damn it, not again! badum, badum, badum, badum._

 

"i have hands you know," heejin mutters, pushing hyunjin's hands off her head. "you don't like thunder either, you should cover your own ears too."

 

"meh, maybe i'm used to it by now. i used to cover goku's ears during storms. he would freak out otherwise."

 

(goku, hyunjin's cat. rest in peace little guy. heejin never had the heart to tell hyunjin she was especially allergic to goku's fur because it made her so happy every time she saw her two favourite things interact. that was assuming goku is hyunjin's second favourite thing in the world, because she knows she has to be the first.)

 

((for the record, hyunjin is a close second on her list, and only to her family. but then again, hyunjin is family, however corny that sounds. her chosen family.))

 

"so i'm your substitute... goku?" she can't help but pay attention to how her words almost mirror jiwoo's. almost.

 

"nah, i always liked you a bit more. he's a cat, he can't pay for my ice cream, which by the way, thanks for the treat."

 

heejin gasps. "i never agreed to treating you!" she rolls her eyes as hyunjin eyes her hopefully.

 

"fine, my treat since you have detention because of me, which, i'm just putting it out there, i never asked you to get yourself into!"

 

she uses her finger to flick and inflict some damage on the back hyunjin's hand, and she drops her ice cream spoon dramatically for effect.

 

"ah! it hurts..."

 

it's obvious hyunjin is faking getting hurt to continue the whole childish game they had going on. she whines and frowns, but all heejin can think is how adorable she looks.

 

(in that instant, heejin experiences some sort of a revelation. a moment or nirvana. a christmas tree's worth of light bulbs going off in her head.)

 

she blurts out the first thing that comes to her head. the only thing, in fact, that came to her head.

 

"i'll kiss it better for you."

 

it's not easy to miss how hyunjin freezes up for a split second. then she's blinking hard and drawing her hand back slightly, and then dissolving in a fit of laughter. heejin really only has one brain cell doesn't she?

 

_now i've made it weird, damn it._

 

_whatever._

 

before she can process what she's doing she's reaching across the round table, grabbing hyunjin's hand and pulling the offended area softly towards her lips. she even adds a little "i'm sorry~" for added effect, and hyunjin is, for the absolute lack of a better word, completely nonplussed.

 

whatever she did that for, she doesn't know. a confirmation maybe?

 

(could you really get over someone in a day? could you then, say, catch feelings for someone else you probably already had but never realised? asking for a friend.)

 


	3. kim hyunjin, the universe, and everything

after that things get back to normal really quickly. perhaps it says too much about them that blurring the lines between a platonic and romantic relationship is so common that they already know how to react when one of them slip up. (who could have missed hyunjin's very smooth "it's like we're an old married couple or something"?)

 

when she gets home, heejin realises that they didn't bring it up, just like how they didn't bring up whatever hyunjin said, just like they didn't bring up whatever questionable stuff they have done in the past.

 

and suddenly, it all resurfaces in her head.

 

she gets a headache just looking back at the long list of memories: hyunjin giving her a bigass bouquet after that dance recital in which she couldn't perform because of her broken leg; herself, going to hyunjin's house daily to deliver her homework and keep her company when said leg was freshly fractured; hyunjin then treating her to a dinner in an expensive restaurant she said was sponsored by her mum, to thank heejin for taking care of her and to celebrate her birthday; heejin then planning an elaborate birthday surprise involving all their mutual friends for hyunjin's birthday.

 

yeah, it's a long list for sure. it doesn't even include the smaller stuff.

 

like when they were standing on a crowded bus and it jerked, causing hyunjin to give her a backhug by accident? her laughing it off saying that her heart fluttered? she can't remember if it did.

 

(who is she kidding, it probably did.)

 

((yes, it did. it fluttered so hard.))

 

the turning point for them was definitely when they went on a school trip together to hong kong two years ago. their hotel room was so small and they had to sleep in a tiny bed together. that's when they started truly becoming better friends with each other, because from heejin's experience, sharing a bed and confiding in each other softly in the dark leads to a lot of cuddling and becoming best friends. somewhere in there they had also come out to each other, and it being the most natural thing ever definitely propelled their morethanfriendship to where it is now.

 

so maybe she's been in love with her best 'friend' all this while, big deal. what about jungeun?

 

after mulling over it for a while, and by "a while" she means "three hours in bed screaming into a pillow about damn girls", she comes to a conclusion: she probably never actually liked jungeun, but admired her. because who wouldn't? she's cool and she's gorgeous and the girl can out-dance anyone.

 

somewhere in between her endless screaming she had received a text from hyunjin. she finally gets to opening it.

 

"i'm bored" is all it says. for such a mundane text heejin suddenly finds it an arduous task to craft a reply. debating between "same" and "take a nap" she settles eventually for an emoji.

 

_an emoji? what are you thinking jeon heejin! and the laughing while crying one, what are you, FIVE?_

 

this is all because she went down the rabbit hole. mental note to slit jiwoo's throat at the next most convenient time: made.

 

hyunjin calls her.

 

she picks up.

 

"what's up?"

 

"i was bored but you didn't reply to my text. i'm still bored."

 

she lies back down on her bed.

 

"have you finished your homework?"

 

"no, i was planning to do it during detention tomorrow. i have nothing due soon anyway."

 

"why the hell did you pick a fight with your teacher? i could have waited longer, it wasn't urgent..."

 

"i didn't pick a fight with him he was being such a dick! i tried to explain to him that i was going to just send you a text and he just started giving me a lecture on manners and discipline so i just... um," hyunjin hesitates.

 

"oh my god what. what did you do?" heejin raises her voice slightly.

 

"i may or may not have said 'i'm good thanks' and just snatched the phone from him? my classmate was the one who informed me about detention because i uh, bolted. you were waiting for me, i couldn't just, not send you a text."

 

_god, she's in love with an IDIOT._

 

(wait, what did she just say? in love?)

 

_oh my god, i AM in love with an idiot. the fuckf djsjsjsksk fuck?_

 

regathering her malfunctioning thoughts, she sputters out a "you're such an idiot" and hyunjin just rambles on about her dickhead of a teacher. heejin swears she forgets how to breathe just listening to how much hyunjin had to say about him.

 

the conversation doesn't last that much longer because hyunjin gets hollered at to do chores by her mother, and heejin actually has homework to complete. the thoughts about hyunjin though, never cease.

 

nobody in the right state of mind ever contacts chaewon about these things.

 

so of course, she texts chaewon.

 

[rapgodheejin] godwon im in some kind of situation

[godwon] yes miss rapgod what situation might that be

[rapgodheejin] im sweating just thinking about it so dont laugh and DONT TELL ANYONE but i might be

[godwon] TYPE FASTER YOU MIGHT BE WHAT

[rapgodheejin] damn girl patience

[rapgodheejin] its hard to type it out im shaking

[rapgodheejin] imightlikehyunjinalotalotalotalot

[godwon] what. you tell me this and for what? i already knew that

[rapgodheejin] ??? you did ???

[godwon] as if she doesnt look at you with puppy eyes and as if you dont look back with "i wanna smooch" eyes

[rapgodheejin] I DO NOT

[godwon] sweetie you do

 

she thinks about it.

 

[rapgodheejin] oh my god i do

[godwon] oh my god yes! you finally realised! now are you gonna confess or wait for her to because im sure she wont grow the balls to overnight after waiting for two whole years! say oh my goodness!

[rapgodheejin] SHUT UP JSJSKSKSKS stop referencing that one song i wrote

 

hold on. she reads the line again.

 

[rapgodheejin] wait what the dkdkskfcuck did you just fckfing say

[godwon] oh no

[godwon] OH NO I HAVE TO DEACTIVATE

[godwon] BYE pls tell hyunjin i never meant for it to be this way AND I WISH YALL ALL THE BEST GOODBYE

 

heejin blinks as chaewon goes offline. _what was that? no way... really?_

 

 _two whole years?_ her bedroom is definitely not the place she expected to be hit with such... news. how could she have been so oblivious all this while? not just to hyunjin's feelings, but to her own too.

 

oh no. how hurt must she have felt when all she could talk about was jungeun? how much grit did she have in her to tell her she supported heejin pursuing jungeun? and for a whole year too?

 

if only there was something she could do to make it up to her...

 

"ding!" goes the figurative buzzer in her head.

 

* * *

 

she turns the sketchbook over and over in her hands.

 

okay, maybe showing hyunjin all the sketches of her she'd done over the course of their friendship is a bad idea. she doesn't want to come off as creepy. she had drawn some of those when they weren't even close friends.

 

(what! heejin just thought the girl in her dance class looked pretty, okay?)

 

((okay maybe there _were_ more than enough warning signs to tell her she was in love with her all along... it's her fault that she's such a blind bitch.))

 

and what a bad timing to do this too! she had her lunch break with chaewon since hyunjin was busy doing some project and now she has no choice but to wait for her class to end like some jackass.

 

but then again, its her fault for waiting two whole years to do this isn't it? they could have had it all if she wasn't so fucking stupid. she should have realised it when hyunjin broke her leg and she couldn't sleep because she was worrying about her, or when she gave her that beautiful bouquet and she cried because she loved it so much, or heck, yesterday when they were in that lovely cafe and hyunjin had her hands over her ears and her heart just went _wHOOOOOOOOSH_ -

 

hyunjin finally gets out of class, and for the first time in a long while, heejin is nervous to see her. the girl spots her down the hallway, and waves at her.

 

"listen okay i have something very important to tell you so i'm gonna need you to shut up and listen, okay?" heejin says while yanking her away from the crowd as another class comes to occupy the recently emptied classroom.

 

"oh, it's not a good time though i have-"

 

"shhhhhhhh, there's never going to be a good time i just need a minute! okay no, more than a minute," heejin rambles. she's going to lose courage if she doesn't get the words she wants to say soon.

 

"i have detention now-"

 

"jiwoo unnie said you were my substitute lover and then i couldn't stop thinking about it yesterday and then i started noticing all the little things you do for me and then i have this whole epiphany that maybe i did like you more than a friend and so i texted chaewon and she slips up and tells me you've liked me for two whole years so here i am, with an apology for being a stupid ass bitch... and oh my god you have detention now!"

 

heejin feels the air around them still. it's noisy, but it's also quiet. hyunjin just looks at her. like, really looking. as if to see if she's being punk'd or something.

 

"say it again, but slowly. i don't think i heard you correctly."

 

taking a deep breath, she says it again shakily.

 

"i said i like you," she breathes. "like i like like you, if that wasn't clear enough."

 

she feels herself being pulled into the nearest bathroom. it's empty.

 

the wall against her back is cool, but the hands that gently cup around her face, and the lips that press against hers are far from it.

 

(hyunjin ends up being late for detention, and earning another hour's worth of sitting around in a classroom with her teacher, doing nothing but thinking about heejin, heejin, and heejin _oh my fucking god heejin likes me back she does she likes me back what the fuck._ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay i'm sorry for the vivid slander I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE SONG i just felt the need to slip heejin's iconic solo into my writing okay say oh my goodness


	4. so long, and thanks for all the ice cream

"so you guys are a thing now?" chaewon asks.

 

"yeah," they respond together.

 

"and you're telling me this because what? i knew that already," jiwoo says. "chaewon, you knew they were bffs right?"

 

"no, like, we're a thing," heejin emphasises the word 'thing' as if it made any difference.

 

"i mean, so you had that massive breakdown over nothing yesterday," chaewon adds, pointing a finger at heejin from across the table. "in case you didn't notice, we all know you guys are best friends or whatever."

 

"one time, hyunjin told me she wanted to get roses for heejin and put them in her locker so she wouldn't be sad for being single on valentines."

 

"i know this story ends with heejin receiving a lot of gifts from random people because she's popular, but case in point," chaewon replies to jiwoo, unimpressed. "yall were already a thing."

 

hyunjin rolls her eyes, looking over to her left to see heejin raising her eyebrows at her.

 

they both lean in and share a kiss, and heejin thinks how it's almost like magic that they almost always know what each other is thinking.

 

(she says 'almost' because, well... TWO WHOLE YEARS.)

 

jiwoo cackles and chaewon leaps up from her seat in joy, creating such a ruckus that the almost all the patrons and staff in the cafe had turned to look at them. it's almost too embarrassing.

 

"finally!" jiwoo whisper-shouts.

 

"was it me? did i make this happen? oh my god, yes!" chaewon whoops, and heejin slaps her hand instinctively for referencing that damn song again.

 

"you are not forgiven! i told you that secret in confidence park chaewon!" hyunjin sounds angry, but knowing her, she'll be fine in two minutes.

 

chaewon just smirks. "i am sorry about that, but i'm not sorry i did more for your relationship than you did in two years."

 

heejin has to physically restrain her girlfriend from removing chaewon's head from the rest of her body.

 

her _girlfriend_. 

 

* * *

 

this conversation was bound to happen. maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring up such a topic while they were comfortably cuddling on heejin's bed, but then again with them, "good timing" is just not a thing that exists.

 

"what was it? the moment that you knew you didn't want to be just friends anymore?"

 

"oh, this is quite the story. are you really ready to know this?"

 

heejin nods, shifting in her place on hyunjin's arm to turn and face her. "yeah, why would i not be ready for it?"

 

hyunjin just laughs sheepishly. "um, i may have lied to chaewon, you know, about the whole 'two years' thing."

 

_oh, hell no._

 

"do you remember the first day we met?"

 

_no, no, no nonononnoonOOOOO. i'm going to be made the villain of my own story!_

 

"in dance class, yeah."

 

"that was the day i started to realise that i wasn't into boys. i went home and i couldn't stop thinking about how pretty you were. what were we, thirteen? you had your pierce the veil shirt on and shit, like a true emo. god, i could not take my eyes off you."

 

"no fucking way, five years?" she repeats. "FIVE YEARS? MOTHER-"

 

heejin looks to the ceiling, and lets out a big sigh. she wasn't in love with an idiot, hyunjin was.

 

or, maybe they both were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaand that's it uwu posted this all in one shot but in multiple chapters because i am a sucker for references, as yall can see from the title... thanks for sticking with this and uhhhh stan loona!

**Author's Note:**

> talk to me!   
> twt: @2jinverse


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